Sexual Health Program Policies

This attendance policy is in effect to maintain the integrity of the Sexual Health Certificate Program (SHCP), meet accreditation standards, and ensure the highest quality of education for all participants in the SHCP.

I. Live Synchronous Class Attendance and Deferral:

The SHCP expects all participants to be fully engaged members of the SHCP community. This program is rooted in the essential experience of learning alongside other members in a sequential fashion, which requires live, synchronous attendance on scheduled Saturdays, Sundays, and the occasional Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. The synchronous learning and teaching of the material for the SHCP is essential to the educational service of this particular program and cannot be effectively offered to individuals in an asynchronous or non-sequential fashion. For these reasons, among others mentioned below, attendance in live synchronous classes is mandatory for all participants. Limited exceptions to this policy may be approved, including for personal emergencies, reasonable religious or disability accommodations, or medical emergencies. See more below in Section 4.

Full Attendance Requirement:

It is expected that participants will have reviewed the course dates, are able to attend live courses, and have arranged coverage for work related duties, including but not limited to on-call shifts. Full attendance requires full presence, meaning other activities like driving or other travelling, multitasking, engaging in caregiving responsibilities, engaging in work responsibilities, simultaneously attending/participating in another event, etc. while engaging with program content are an attendance violation.

For attendance to be considered complete, participants must:

  • Attend all scheduled course sessions for the entirety of the session.
  • Complete all course assignments, including make-up work as assigned.
  • Successfully pass post-tests with a score of 80% or higher.
  • Complete all course evaluations
  • Complete the overall program evaluation

Attendance requirements align with accreditation standards set by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), the Association of Social Work Boards Approved Continuing Education (ASWB ACE) program, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Deferrals to the next cohort are considered on a case-by-case basis for participants who are in good standing and who are experiencing unexpected medical, financial, and/or unforeseeable life changes.

II. No Partial Credit

In accordance with the SHCP's accreditation bodies, no partial credit can be earned for individual courses within the SHCP, meaning that all courses must be completed in their entirety for course credit.

III. Make-Up Policy:

The ability to make-up a course is not automatically granted. Due to continuing education accreditation requirements, attendance is mandatory. Non-medical emergencies should be rare and must be pre-approved via the Absence Approval Form, which participants may access within the Canvas learning management system.

In the rare event that a participant has two absences, whether due to a medical emergency or pre-approved absence, participants may be asked to meet with the SHCP leadership to discuss if completing the program with the current cohort is still manageable or if deferral may be indicated.

In the case of approved absences from Core Sexual Health Education (CSHE) courses, make-up work will be assigned through Canvas and must be completed by a predetermined due date (typically 30 days unless otherwise specified). Make-up work can include, but is not limited to a written assignment and watching any assigned recorded material. Failure to complete make-up work, post-tests, and/or course evaluations in a timely manner will prevent a participant from earning continuing education credits for the course, possibly jeopardizing the earning of the overall program certificate.

When approved, absences from the Advanced Training (AT) Counselor and Therapy courses are made up by attending that specific, live/synchronous course in the next cohort year.

The Advanced Training Sex Educator (ATSE) courses, specifically, are a series of courses that build upon one another in content and skill development. Missing any course in the ATSE series (ATSE 1, ATSE 2, or ATSE 3) - even if for a medical emergency - requires notice to the administration team and absence approval. Upon approval, deferral of subsequent courses in the ATSE series will be granted (e.g., if ATSE 2 is an approved absence, ATSE 2 and 3 would be made up the following cohort year). Participants who are unable to attend any of the primary three courses (ATSE 1-3) of the ATSE series are eligible to attend ATSE 4 with their current cohort.

IV. Absence Request Procedure:

  1. All absences must be communicated through the Absence Request Form (found on Canvas).
  2. Absence requests must be submitted in advance of the absence, except in emergencies when the request must be submitted as soon as the participant is reasonably able to do so.
  3. Approval from the program leadership team is required for any absence.
  4. Absence requests submitted on the day of the class, or as reasonably able due to emergency, will be considered and evaluated based on the discretion of the SHCP team.
  5. After 90 days without communication after a missed course, it is assumed a participant has withdrawn from the program.

V. Enforcement of Policies:

It is the responsibility of the program team to enforce these policies consistently and fairly. Any deviations from these policies must be communicated in writing and approved by the SHCP team.

In accordance with the attendance policies above, any missed portion of the attendance and completion requirements (including the post-program evaluation) will prevent a participant from completing the program, and they would not receive a final SHCP certificate of completion or full program transcript. Completion of the full certificate program affords participants alumni status and access to free and/or reduced cost learning opportunities. If participants miss a portion of the SHCP, they are responsible for finding replacement continuing education credits to meet AASECT certification requirements. AASECT has a list of CE providers on aasect.org.

VI. Refund and Payment Policy for the Sexual Health Certification Program (SHCP)

This policy outlines the financial agreement between participants and the program and is meant to provide guidelines and expectations regarding payment requirements and refund eligibility. Participants are encouraged to communicate with the program administration if they encounter any challenges with the payment process.

By accepting admission into the program and securing a space with the nonrefundable $200 deposit, participants agree to complete payment for the program in accordance with the fee schedule outlined in the Important Dates section of the SHCP website titled: Dates to know after being admitted. The included Drop/Add schedule is outlined to take into account the fiscal responsibility of the program and the circumstances of participants.

  1. Payment Process:
    1. Payment Due Dates:
      1. Participants are required to make payments according to the due dates specified in the payment schedule for the cohort year and track in which they enroll.
    2. Course Attendance and Payment:
      1. Participants will forfeit the right to attend any future course sessions if payment is not made by the installment due date.
      2. If payment is not received by the due date, it is assumed the participant has withdrawn and forfeits their access to all course pages and program benefits (e.g., access to alumni status including alumni weekend, etc).
    3. Withdrawal for Non-Payment:
      1. If payment is not received by the scheduled due date, the participant will be completely withdrawn from the program.
    4. Communication of Non-Payment:
      1. Participants will be notified of non-payment and withdrawal via email or other official communication channels.
  2. Re-admission After Withdrawal Regarding Payment:
    1. Re-admission period for same cohort year:
      1. Re-admission of a withdrawn participant may be applicable if all required payment is completed prior to the attendance of the next eligible course.
    2. Re-admission period for deferrals to next cohort year:
      1. Participants who have an approved deferral to the next cohort year are required to pay in full upon re-admission 30 days prior to the return course date.
    3. Re-admission Requirements:
      1. Re-admission is contingent on fulfilling all outstanding financial obligations, regarding payment of any remaining fees.
      2. Participants must meet any updated program requirements, which may include taking courses over again and paying the difference in the program cost if any changes have occurred.
    4. Revised Payment Terms:
      1. Upon re-admission, participants must adhere to any revised payment terms (including up to the remaining balance or paying in full) or schedules that may be in effect at the time of return.
  3. Refund Eligibility:
    1. For Full or Partial Program Payment
      1. Participants who withdraw from SHCP before the program start date but after March 1st forfeit the equivalent of the first installment payment.
      2. Participants who paid in full and withdraw from the program before September 1st, will receive the equivalent of the third payment (and potentially fourth payment) as a refund.
      3. Participants who withdraw after September 1st will not receive a refund.
      4. A participant who pays in installments forfeits the right to refund when they've made an installment payment.
    2. For Educator Track Addition or Removal
      1. The deadline for dropping/withdrawing from the Sexuality Educator Track is June 30th. Dropping the Educator Track by June 30th will result in a refund of the educator track fee the participant paid in full at the beginning of the program.
      2. If a participant receives approval to join the educator track, no refund will be issued after the sex educator track payment is made.
  4. Refund Process:
    1. Refund requests must be submitted in writing to the program administration ([email protected]) and continuing education office ([email protected]).
    2. The refund amount will be determined based on the date of withdrawal and in accordance with the program's refund eligibility.
  5. The Sallie Foley Scholarship
    1. The Sallie Foley Scholarship is applied to the cohort year in which it was awarded. If a participant defers to the next cohort year prior to starting the cohort, the participant forfeits the scholarship and may reapply for the scholarship the following cohort year.
    2. If a participant defers mid cohort year, the scholarship will follow them to the next cohort year.
    3. The scholarship award is applied to the participant's first AT payment.

VIII. Deferral Policy for SHCP Program

This policy is designed to provide a clear and transparent process for participants seeking deferral from the SHCP program. Participants are encouraged to communicate proactively and meet all requirements for deferral to ensure a smooth process. Deferrals are not automatically granted.

  1. Grounds for Deferral:
    1. Participants may request a deferral for the remainder of the program in the event for a maximum deferral period of 1 year due to medical, financial, or unforeseeable life changes.
  2. Deferral Duration:
    1. Deferrals are granted for a period of 1 year. If the deferral is not taken within this time frame, the participant is considered withdrawn.
  3. Financial Obligations:
    1. See Refund and Payment Policy for the Sexual Health Certification Program (SHCP) for more details.
  4. Deferral Process:
    1. Participants must communicate with program leadership ([email protected]), request and complete a deferral request form.
    2. The request must include the reason for deferral.
    3. The request must be submitted in advance of the first course the participant would miss or within a reasonable timeframe in the case of unforeseen circumstances.
  5. Program Completion Requirements in the Event of Deferral:
    1. To be considered for program completion and to earn a certificate of completion from the program, a deferred participant must complete all program requirements.
    2. All course work from the original cohort must be complete by August 31st of the year in which the original cohort ends.
  6. Certificate Completion:
    1. Deferral does not guarantee completion. A program certificate of completion will only be granted to those who complete all attendance requirements, payments, pre/post-tests, other assigned coursework, course evaluations, and full program evaluation.
  7. Appeals Process:
    1. Participants may appeal a deferral decision. The appeal should be submitted to the Office of Continuing Education at [email protected].
    2. A decision from this team cannot be appealed once rendered.

IX. Grievance Policy

  1. The person with a grievance will first try to informally resolve their grievance by contacting the SHCP leadership team ([email protected]) with the issue concerning the training, its delivery, the evaluation method, or technological issues.
  2. If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the resolution through informal means, the aggrieved person shall put their grievance in writing to the SHCP leadership ([email protected]) and the Office of Continuing Education ([email protected]).
  3. The continuing education director will follow up to learn more about the concerns and to help resolve the issue. If the concern requires further consultation to arrive at a satisfactory resolution, concerns will be escalated to the Associate Dean for Educational Programs, who will make the final determination regarding what action will be taken to address the issue.
  4. If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the solutions put forth, then they will be directed to put their grievance in writing and contact the appropriate organization, e.g. AASECT. The appropriate AASECT personnel can be reached at [email protected]
  5. The AASECT CE Provider (SHCP) will collaborate with AASECT on decisions regarding the resolution of the grievance.